A Flower for the Graves

By Eugene Patterson
Atlanta Constitution, September 16, 1963

A Negro mother wept in the street Sunday morning in front of a Baptist Church in Birmingham. In her hand she held a shoe, one shoe, from the foot of her dead child. We hold that shoe with her.

Every one of us in the white South holds that small shoe in his hand.

It is too late to blame the sick criminals who handled the dynamite. The FBI and the police can deal with that kind. The charge against them is simple. They killed four children.

Only we can trace the truth, Southerner — you and I. We broke those children’s bodies.

We watched the stage set without staying it. We listened to the prologue unbestirred. We saw the curtain opening with disinterest. We have heard the play.

We — who go on electing politicians who heat the kettles of hate.

We — who raise no hand to silence the mean and little men who have their nigger jokes.

We — who stand aside in imagined rectitude and let the mad dogs that run in every society slide their leashes from our hand, and spring.

We — the heirs of a proud South, who protest its worth and demand it recognition — we are the ones who have ducked the difficult, skirted the uncomfortable, caviled at the challenge, resented the necessary, rationalized the unacceptable, and created the day surely when these children would die.

This is no time to load our anguish onto the murderous scapegoat who set the cap in dynamite of our own manufacture.

He didn’t know any better.

Somewhere in the dim and fevered recess of an evil mind he feels right now that he has been a hero. He is only guilty of murder. He thinks he has pleased us.

We of the white South who know better are the ones who must take a harsher judgment.

We, who know better, created a climate for child-killing by those who don’t.

We hold that shoe in our hand, Southerner. We hold that shoe in our hand, Southerner. Let us see it straight, and look at the blood on it. Let us compare it with the unworthy speeches of Southern public men who have traduced the Negro; match it with the spectacle of shrilling children whose parents and teachers turned them free to spit epithets at small huddles of Negro school children for a week before this Sunday in Birmingham; hold up the shoe and look beyond it to the state house in Montgomery where the official attitudes of Alabama have been spoken in heat and anger.

Let us not lay the blame on some brutal fool who didn’t know any better.

We know better. We created the day. We bear the judgment. May God have mercy on the poor South that has so been led. May what has happened hasten the day when the good South, which does live and has great being, will rise to this challenge of racial understanding and common humanity, and in the full power of its unasserted courage, assert itself.

The Sunday school play at Birmingham is ended. With a weeping Negro mother, we stand in the bitter smoke and hold a shoe. If our South is ever to be what we wish it to be, we will plant a flower of nobler resolve for the South now upon these four small graves that we dug.

The Return of the Gilgal Girls

God’s been good
In my life
I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams
When I go to sleep each night

Somehow those words have much more meaning when sung by an orphan who grew up in deep poverty in a home shared with 100+ other orphans. Contemporary Christian Music is now a big industry where people that could have been fashion models sing canned praise songs all engineered and packaged to sell to a mass audience for profit. But it’s not hard to find true faith expressing itself in song. The latest is a CD of music performed by two young women who grew up in an orphanage in India.

It all started in 2003 when Judy Lalruotmawi, a gifted Christian soloist, began serving at an orphanage in Manipur, India, called Gilgal Children’s Home. She had sung at revival meetings and churches throughout India. At Gilgal Children’s Home, she passed on her gift teaching all the children to sing God’s praises. Some of the kids took an interest, and four stood out: Mercy, Rebecca, Maggie and Elizabeth.

They originally called themselves “Gilgal Vibration”. Some of their earlier work can be seen on You Tube. Mercy and Maggie sing a duet “Four Days Late”, and all the kids get together to sing “We’ve Got Something So Good”. All the singers are very, very young. As teenagers in 2006 the four girls were calling themselves “Gilgal Praise” as they toured the United States for several months. They recorded a CD of praise songs and sang in churches throughout the country raising awareness for the plight of world orphans as well as raising funds for orphanage ministries worldwide.

After their tour it was in question whether we’d ever hear from them again. Those fortunate enough to have their CD would be able to enjoy their angelic voices for years. Mercy actually decided to stay in the United States. She attended classes for a couple of years at Central Piedmont Community College where she got straight A’s.

Now five years after their last CD, Rebecca and Mercy have produced a new CD “Forever Praise”. They’re not teenagers anymore. Mercy is 20 and Rebecca is 21, and their voices are much more mature, not that the angelic voices of the teenage Gilgal Girls weren’t beautiful. Mercy’s voice is very refined with no hint of her previous accent. Rebecca always had the cutest accent, and remnants of it can still be heard in her voice on the CD.

One person heard the music and commented that it sounds just like all the other contemporary Christian music. That hurt, but it is partially true. Most of the songs are little different than some of the popular American Christian music being produced these days. But I like these girls, and I like the music, and the lyrics are much more meaningful coming from them.

Cry Your Tears

We saw that empty early morning skyline.
3,000 dead; more wounded; and millions terrified.
And you want us to cry your tears for you

But we’re still crying tears of our own.
In response to 3,000 dead you killed over 100,000 civilians.
How can you justify that? You didn't mean to.
Didn't mean to? You dropped bombs on their heads.
Destroyed homes, schools and clinics; millions without homes.
An entire generation lost.
And you want us to cry your tears for you

On your Wall you list each soldier by name
Each individual is counted 58,178
You’d count the hairs on their heads if you could
We count our dead in the millions
Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laos – millions dead – mostly civilians
And you want us to cry your tears for you
We’re short on tears to cry for you with all these tears to cry of our own

You place high tariffs and trade restrictions on rice, sugar and other items we make.
Yet you demand that we eliminate trade barriers to your products.
You poison a generation of minds with your video games
Stuff a weeks’ worth of sugar into one serving of cereal
Your kids are so high on sugar you have to medicate them
You use television as a babysitter
Making the innocent the new virgin offerings to the new gods of profit
Now you want us to cry your tears for you.

In your uncontrolled hedonism you emptied your wallets
52” TVs; cars; boats; vacations; homes you can’t afford
You spend more on cosmetic surgery than entire nations spend on pediatric care
You accumulated as much debt as you could
And then you borrowed more with the bill going to your children and grandchildren
And you want us to cry your tears for you.

Our past is your future
The way the story is unfolding we may end up crying together
As in crying at the same time

God Revives a Sleeping Church

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

A church in Balang, Cambodia, has suffered because the original pastor, angered because they wouldn't let him make a profit off the rice mill, decided to quit being a Christian and go back to Buddhism. Many members quit with him. Peter, the national coordinator went to church service, and since it was peak rice harvest there were only about 45 people there, mostly orphans, older women, and children; everyone else was working. Peter doesn't get there often so the new pastor asked him to speak. He rose and went to the front of the church when a teen aged girl walked up to him and kneed him squarely in the groin. Peter gasped, leaned forward, and stopped breathing. Everyone was so shocked and embarrassed that there was total silence. The mother of the girl came, grabbed her, and dragged her to the rear of the church. Peter took a deep breath and with a grimaced red face began his sermon. It was a good sermon.

After service, Peter, the new pastor, and several of the older women were gathered around the girl praying for her. An elder walked over to where the group was praying for the girl. They were praying nice religious prayers, "God, please heal this girl!" "Please help this girl!" etc. The man said, "This looks like a demon spirit." They were silent. He moved in front of the girl. She was staring at the ground. "Look at me!" He commanded. She lifted her head, but all you could see where the whites of her eyes. "Do you want to be free of this demon?" He asked. She growled, "No!" The man was convinced that the girl was demon possessed. She was looking at the ground again. The man commanded that the spirit come out of her. "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you! You foul spirit! Come out of her!" She belched. She stood straight and seemed normal. "Can you read?" he asked her. "Yes, I'm in the 8th grade", she responded. "Then go home and read the Bible, fill yourself with God's word and this devil can never come back." She's been fine ever since.

What they didn't know was that this girl was famous throughout the town for being possessed. So, when Christmas service was held, despite the fact that harvest was not complete, virtually the whole town showed up. The church was packed. People were crammed in the cafeteria and were standing in front of the church. You’ve heard of standing room only, but this church was packed full with a large crowd extending out the door into the front yard.

They estimate 600 were in attendance, including the former pastor who had gone back to Buddhism. Peter had come back to preach the Christmas message. He taught; "How Jesus came to set us free!" At the end of his message he asked, "Who wants to receive Jesus Christ in their hearts? More than 500 hands shot up including that of the former pastor. Peter, feeling he must have been misunderstood, asked again. Again, more than 500 hands shot up. They prayed. 500 people were saved that day.


This picture is of the church the week later. The church building is full, and the crowd extends out the door!!

On the Other Side

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” So says Hebrews 10:31.

I remember one time I was on the receiving end of a prayer.

His name was Curt. He was a cool guy. He was quarterback of his high school football team or something like that. What was such a cool guy doing hanging out with me? He needed something.

I could type, and in exchange for being my friend, he would have me type his papers for class. It was pathetic. I know. I actually thought he was a true genuine friend. I didn’t know that the only reason he hung out with me was to get his papers typed.

He was ministry bound. It was his intention to, after college, go into the ministry starting as a campus minister preaching the gospel to college kids and discipling and teaching them. He was cut out for it. He was a cool guy. People liked him. He had a way with people. He was a people person. I think he had many qualities that would make a good minister. As someone who read most of his college papers I can tell you that he wasn’t necessarily incredibly intelligent, but he did have gifts suitable for ministry to young Americans.

After a while I started catching on. He would only come to visit when he needed a paper typed. One time he said he was coming over, and I made a point to be sure that I would not be there. I went to the library.

After the time of his schedule arrival, I started feeling tired. I was sleepy. The library chairs weren’t comfortable. I didn’t want to be there. I thought about going to the gym, but that wouldn’t have been very comfortable either. The only place I wanted to be was laying on my bed. I knew that Curt guy would be lurking around so I tried to delay. I stayed as long as I could bear it and then went home thinking that he would have noticed my absence and given up.

When I got there, he was there. I typed his paper, and then he took off. He told me later that he made it to class just in time to hand in his typed paper. Then he told me something else. He said that he had been praying the whole time he was waiting for me. He had been praying that I would show up.

I really think that Curt’s prayer was answered. I really think that my strong desire to go back to my room was put on me by God himself spurring me to go back where I would help this guy. It’s a pretty cool feeling thinking that I was touched by God even though it might not have been a pleasant feeling at the time.

God Uses Sinners

In December 2010, Jenelle Embrey of Northern Virginia Atheists put up a letter from "Jesus" on a giant poster board on the grounds before the Leesburg, Virginia, annual Christmas parade. The letter had 10 genuinely positive suggestions, including writing letters to our military, forgiving people who have hurt you, and doing something instead of complaining, and it ends with: “I love you, Jesus.”

When interviewed, Embrey commented, "I wanted to try to promote peace and civility. Because it seems that the Christian group was the most defensive during the debate, I specifically addressed them in my letter, using some of the positive things out of their religion to try to appeal to them."

Conservative columnist Robert Knight considers this the work of the “devil”. In a column posted at the website townhall.com, http://tinyurl.com/2vyn7c3 Knight describes this as “diabolically shrewd!”

“The devil’s best work is done with an unseen hand, when people don’t realize they are being manipulated,“ writes Knight. Evidently Robert Knight objects to “genuinely positive suggestions” simply because of the messenger. But is this Biblical?

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul wrote about some people who preached out of envy and rivalry, out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for Paul. Evidently some people were preaching Christ not out of a sincere heart but to cause trouble for Paul. What was his reaction?

“But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

That’s right. Paul rejoiced.

Back in the Old Testament, God was using the Assyrians to punish Israel. The objection was raised that, hey, the Assyrians are worse than we are. Why don’t you punish the Assyrians instead of us? Indeed the Assyrians were worse than Israel. But God used the Assyrians to accomplish His will. When He was finished, he took care of the Assyrians too. God even used a donkey at one point to accomplish His will.

Why Didn't God Save My Brother

The September 2010 edition of Christianity Today, in an article entitled “In the Shadow of Mount Hood”, Frank James, III, provost of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, discusses his feelings regarding the death of his brother, Kelly James. In the article, he asks some questions of God.

Losing a sibling is tough. I know. My brother died as a result of reckless behavior when he was 24 years old. It’s not possible to understand the sorrow one feels unless you’ve lived it.

In 2006, Kelly James died while climbing Mt. Hood in Oregon to prepare for an expedition to climb Mt. Everest. Frank James describes how he prayed for his brother’s rescue and trusted and believed that God would rescue his brother. Frank publicly declared his faith and confidence in God on CNN. Unfortunately, by the time the rescue party reached him, Kelly had already died.

Frank James asks the question, “Where was God when Kelly was freezing to death on Mount Hood?” Frank says that he is trying to make sense of Kelly’s death. He does not know why God did not rescue Kelly.

So here’s what happens. A guy wants to climb Mt. Everest. You don’t just go climb Mt. Everest. You need a permit that costs tens of thousands of dollars. After travel expenses and hiring an expedition, we’re talking $50,000 to $100,000 which is enough to support an entire Cambodian orphanage for years. So to prepare for the expensive expedition, he climbs Mount Hood in Oregon in December. And while he’s seeking his own interests he runs into problems.

Frank James questions God because God didn’t save Kelly from his folly. He doesn’t understand why God wouldn’t rescue his brother. He’s questioning. He pondering. He’s contemplating why God didn’t rescue HIS brother.

You’ve got children being aborted, killed before they take a single breath. You’ve got millions of orphans due to AIDS, war and other maladies. You’ve got Christians being persecuted in India, China, the Middle East and other parts of the world being harassed, beaten and thrown in jail. You have mass poverty in Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia. You’re hearing about floods in Pakistan, earthquakes in Chile, Haiti and other places. Starving orphans. Millions of people dying without ever having heard the name “Jesus”.

But Frank James questions God about why He didn’t save his brother who was recklessly climbing a mountain for fun. The question that we should ask is: Why has God blessed us so much? Why did Jesus die for us? What does he see in us that is so valuable? And then for those of us in the United States, perhaps we should ask why he has blessed us so much with wealth and knowledge while so many others suffer in hunger, persecution, natural disasters and other maladies?

Years ago Betty Nguyen, a CNN anchor now a correspondent for CBS news, visited the place of her birth Vietnam with a camera crew. Getting off the beaten path, they went to the Mekong Delta. Many of the homes were on stilts, and because it was the rainy season, many of the homes stood over several feet of brown water. The news crew came upon one such house. It was about half the size of my bedroom. Three children lived there, the oldest no more than 15 years old. Their parents had died of an unknown illness. They had captured a bull frog which was all they had to eat that day. The news crew left them with some rice and other food after they got the footage they needed.

On September 14th 2010 as he was giving humanitarian assistance to people in need in Shan State, Burma, a member of the Free Burma Rangers was shot in the back and killed by Burma Army troops. He was the team camera man as well as one of the Good Life Club team members who focused on helping children. He was a kind and smiling man who loved to help others, endured hardship without complaint and loved children. He was a hard worker, tough, and never surrendered.

But Frank James asks a question. Where was God when Frank’s brother was freezing to death on Mount Hood? Children in Haiti, orphans in Cambodia, a man killed while helping others, but Frank James asks why God didn't save HIS rich brother while he was out enjoying himself. Even though it doesn’t deserve a response, I will provide a response to Frank James:

Go fuck yourself!

Watered Down Christianity

I became a Christian on a college campus. I got involved in the campus ministry and studied the materials produced by a national campus ministry organization. I learned salvation by grace through faith, faith that was evidenced by repeating a pre-written prayer. We were taught a lot. We learned about the Great Commission, and we were trained and encouraged to share the gospel with other spoiled, rich, white, American college kids. Pamphlets and booklets taught us everything we needed to know.

Everything we needed to know was packaged and delivered in small pamphlets and booklets. You almost expect to get a cheap plastic toy with every pamphlet. They paid lip service to personal Bible study, and they had pre-prepared Bible study guides to assist you in understanding the Bible. This type of McChristianity is prevalent not just on college campuses and in youth groups but in churches and parachurch ministries.

Christian doctrine (i.e. what they want you to believe) is predetermined. They present this in little pamphlets and study guides. Every belief is supported by a verse or several verses taken out of context. It’s a very close-knit group so most participants stay close. Not many stray very far to hear arguments against the pre-packaged belief system.

Lip service is paid to studying the Bible, but their way of using the Bible consists of little more than using verses taken out of context to support their pre-determined set of beliefs. Rather than teaching and studying Paul’s epistle to the Romans, a topic is taught, for example, salvation, and verses are carefully picked to support the topic.

One particular issue is losing salvation. Can one lose one’s salvation once one becomes saved? They cite John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” What they won’t cite are verses like Romans 11:21 or Hebrews 6: 4-8 or John 15:6. When someone brings up those verses, they’re told that they’re not really addressing Christians who are cut from the vine but people who never truly were genuine Christians. They say that because they already “know” that you can’t lose your salvation. The interpretation of the Bible molds itself around the pre-determined beliefs rather than their beliefs molding around the Bible.

Can one lose one’s salvation? That’s a legitimate debate. Some truly believe that a Christian cannot lose his or her salvation. Others truly believe that they can. My point is that the participant is taught to base their beliefs on the teaching of the pamphlets and booklets rather than through Biblical study.

The subject that is watered down the most is the degree of commitment that is required to become a Christian. An easy to read booklet is prepared for people to present the gospel to people. In the end all that is required for salvation is to believe in Jesus and repeat a pre-written prayer. As one reads through the New Testament several times with an open mind, one questions the simplicity of this contemporary suburban American “formula” for salvation. But they have answers for concerns.

In answering any question, the first premise is that the Bible must conform to their pre-determined easy salvation formula. In Matthew 19 Jesus has an encounter with a wealthy fellow. Jesus had said to the wealthy fellow, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The question arises: does Jesus want us to do that? Does he want us to sell our possessions and give the money to the poor?

At the end of the exchange, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

The explanation given is that Jesus’ comment about being difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven is not necessarily exclusive to rich men. Sure, it’s difficult for a rich man to enter the king of heaven. That is true. But, they say, it’s also difficult for everyone, rich or poor. But with God, one can enter the kingdom of heaven by repeating this pre-written prayer. So don’t worry about the specific warning for rich people. He doesn’t really mean it.

In Matthew 10, Jesus says that “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”. The image comes to mind of Jesus carrying his cross up the hill with his followers behind him carrying their crosses. But hey, they say, no one is worthy of Jesus. We’re all sinners. But you can receive forgiveness of sins by repeating this short prayer. The implied obligation to leave your riches, leave your life, leave everything and take up your cross and follow Jesus is not necessary.

In Luke 14:33 Jesus said, “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” This seems like Jesus is asking for a very serious commitment. But it’s not really necessary. You see, they say, he’s talking about being a disciple. You can become saved through this simple short prayer, but becoming a disciple is the next step. You don’t have to become a disciple to become saved, they say.

In this way, they’ve managed to water it down. Total commitment is not necessary. You say the pre-written prayer, and that’s it. You have eternal life. You can’t lose it no matter what you do. There is no requirement to be transformed by a renewing of your mind or become a living sacrifice. But if you want, you can become a disciple and pick up a cross and follow Jesus. You don’t have to do that, but you can if you want to.